The Year Round Nigel Slater Discussion thread

[RainbowZebraWarrior]

Hello, all.

The Nigel Slater Christmas Chronicles readalong usually takes place here between November and February each year (the Christmas Chronicles being a book written by Nigel Slater full of winter recipes and anecdotes) It's been running for a few years, and the contributors have collectively decided it would be nice to have it running all year round.

So here it is. It is a place to appreciate all things Nigel-esque. Think seasonal food and recipes, enjoyment of nature, sharing of news and small moments of joy. It's a calm, cosy space for gentle chat and merriment so pull up a chair, grab a cuppa and relax.

A very hearty welcome to friends new and old!

@EarlierDistraction we are just back from a few days in Gloucester and we had a couple of breakfasts in spoons, the sausage and egg muffin is very good.

The breakfast wrap is my favourite but wasn't hungry enough today.

Ooh. I've just googled that and will be making myself one of those on Sunday. Just need to update my grocery delivery for tomorrow night.

Don’t forget the NVN plastic cheese!

Very unmumsnetty hugs to anyone who needs one - what a lot of loss and illness we're experiencing. I always think losses feel slightly worse in the Spring, when it's so at odds with everything sprouting and growing.

At the risk of being booted off the thread, I have a very soft spot for terrible American plastic cheese. No burger is complete without it.

And I second that. Lots of love to you @Bimblesalongand to you RZW.
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It’s felt a long week here. But some moments of joy on the farm. We had a calf born and after two worrying days he finally managed to start feeding from Mum.
Just realised I didn’t send my mum her card. Funny time of year this for those who have lost their mums or who have difficult relationships with theirs. My best friend lost her mum on Mother’s Day last year. So thinking of anyone in these circumstances too.
dh and I have the house to ourselves for the first time in weeks as all children are either at work or at their other houses. Naturally we still woke up at 5.
we are going to walk the dogs and do some jobs then go into London to see the interactive Van Gogh and then pay a first visit to some private membership club in soho dh has been given through work. Quite bougie. (Not soho house though, which is the dream. Probably very far from it but we shall see). We will no doubt be the oldest and uncool-est people there.
Happy Saturday to all

Gorgeous calf. Have a good day out @piscofrisco We have mum staying, which is lovely.

Ds2’s orchestra has a big concert tonight and we are all going. It’ll be a relaunch to society for me, which will be great and also strange.

Ooh I didn't know there was plastic cheese in it. I have to admit I've never tried that before as my brain finds it alarmimg. I've never tried a burger before either to be fair.

Enjoy your day @piscofrisco and your evening @Bimblesalong I dont do anything particularly social any more for various reasons, so its nice to hear about others vicariously.

Solar eclipse happening right now (partial) and the clouds have almost parted here for the event which was nice after waking up to a very dull, grey day. I'm actually watching it streamed live by a photography pal on Facebook, as I don't have the gear or tech.

Pretty sky right now though.

Hope everyone is well this evening.

The wind here has been crazy, but has thankfully died down a bit now. Enjoyed some time watching the partial eclipse this morning after a difficult night with DD. She has been struggling a lot this week, but I'm just eternally grateful for 5 minutes peace on a weekend morning to enjoy the birdsong.

In light of that, I have treated myself today to four lipstick pink Pelargonium, three climbing roses, two French lavender, a large blueberry bush (and a partridge in a pear tree!) I've also potted up the last of my viola. They were too big for teacups a lá @Bimblesalong style, so I popped them in some little buckets.

Also sending love to anyone who may be struggling this weekend ❤️

I like the saucers you've got them on @RainbowZebraWarrior very pretty, as is that viola. I had a little trip to the garden centre myself today but only bought onion sets and seeds, plus a few nice food bits from the farmshop bit. Then I popped round to see my parents, picked DS up from hockey and ended up in the pub with some of his teammates and parents for a couple of hours, it was a nice way to end the afternoon. Sorry to hear DD has been struggling, do you think the Easter break will help?

Happy Mother’s Day Y’all x I hope you have been showered with love and cards and candles x and lots of love to those for whom today is difficult too.
I have been given a candle the kids got in Spitalfields market so it’s an unknown. Rosemary and Lavender. Excited to see how it turns out.

Good morning and happy mothers day to all who celebrate. Sending hugs to anyone who may need them. That candle sounds lovely @piscofrisco

I got a candle and a cars with "You're the Mum that I want" on it, with the proclamation that DD now thinks she's old enough to watch Grease, so we shall be doing that this evening.

Been foe an early jaunt to the plant nursery in the next village. Got a great deal on a 5ft acer for £39 and DD picked out some lovely pots and perennials all in reds, pinks and purples. The wind is still gusty here, but we're going to have brunch then go back out later and do some digging and redesigning. DD seems to have regained an interest in the garden (Hurrah!) and told me some of her favourite childhood memories were of covering seeds with compost when she was little. Funny enough, my favourite childhood memories were planting candytuft and harvesting radishes, carrots and potatoes with the every present blackbird singing in the big tree at the bottom of the garden.

Those saucers are from this teaset @EarlierDistraction I must admit, it is my favourite.

Here's DD making sure the new acer made it home safely in the car. She has named him Aaron.

Sorry @EarlierDistraction I meant to reply to your kind question about DD. Yes, she needs the Easter break for sure. She struggles with fatigue anyway, and then the big school change plus she started some new meds this week. I find I always count the days to the next school holiday. We tend to utilise them mostly for relaxing and decompressing.

I thought that might be the case @RainbowZebraWarrior changing school is massive for anyone let alone those with SNs.

Well I have been presented with a cup of tea in bed (DH), flowers (DS) and a candle and reduced-to-clear-from-where-she-works Lardy Cake (DD). I introduced my family to Lardy Cakes a few years ago - they are a regional thing and DH who isn't from this part of the world had never heard of them. We all like them but they are a bit of a heart attack on a plate.

Sending hugs to all that need them.

busy weekend here. Went out to a lovely restaurant on Friday night. Paint balling yesterday which was hideous and fun in equal measure. I’m now covered in bruises

and today we went for a lovely coastal 5 mile hike. It was beautiful and didn’t need to wear my jumper at all which is the first time this year.

now at my parents for a Mother’s Day roast.

Sounds like a great day @piscofrisco . I hope the private members club lives up to expectations! (and that it isn't the very different kind of private members club that used to be near a school I taught at in a dodgy area of Bristol 🤣🤣🤣)

Pretty tea set, @RainbowZebraWarrior .

Today has been absolutely gorgeous in my part of the world. The birds were singing their hearts out. I have a brilliant app on my phone that will record the birdsong for you and identify which birds are singing. It's called Merlin and it was free!

Today was our first fair after the winter break. We had a good day. I run this particular one, so I am always anxious about whether the footfall will be ok for the other traders. Today it was steady for most of the day and there were some lovely customers happy to chat.

Love a lardy cake @EarlierDistraction ! Wouldn't be a Glenmore Bakery one by any chance? I had a bit yesterday and it was lush!

No, it was a Good Taste Independent Bakery one (DD works in a farmshop). The ingredients list is a UPF / NVN nightmare but it tastes amazing.

@Confusedmeanderings I use Merlin too, I have been travelling today and picked up all sorts including a buzzard. Right now it's picking up a robin, blackbird and house sparrow. We have had dinner in the garden tonight a bit chilly but so nice to be able to.

That candle looks and sounds lovely @EarlierDistraction and Oh My Goodness to Lardy Cake. It always reminds me of my cello lessons when I was 10. There were two of us chosen to play cello at school and we would go up to this little tower where I'd wait for the other person to have their lesson before I had mine. There was a huge Bookcase in there and I'd always pick up this cookery book and look at the recipe for Lardy Cake. Lovely nails as well, BTW.

5 mile hike sounds lovely @CrushingOnRubies it's been such a beautiful day.

I use the Merlin app every day @Confusedmeanderings it's excellent at identifying birds. I've used other ones in the past and they have been pants. I always wish I lived in your neck of the woods as I'd love to come to one of your fairs.

Shattered here, but happy. DD and I spent two and a half hours in the garden planting up some of what we bought this morning, and rearranging some very heavy statues we have. We now have the beginnings of a 'Japanese Corner' which has been planned for a couple of years now.

Lighter nights are now officially here and I feel that Spring has now really begun. The light is so different at this time of year, isn't it? I took a pic of my friends horses in the field next to the plant nursery this morning as the sky looked so beautifully blue.

Thank you @RainbowZebraWarrior it is very fragrant. I will report back when I've tried it.

So I’ve been lurking and not posting much of late. Busy stressful 3 months which I won’t bore you with but!…. Just seen a trailer for Nigel Slater month on the Food Network. Starts 7th April! Had to share that bit of juicy info. Xx

Loving the saucers, plants and people doing the things they enjoy today. We’ve had a lovely day with mum here and then a lovely but sad tea with DH’s best friend who is moving away to the south coast with his wife tomorrow. He and dh have been very close since Uni and have seen one another through happiness and sadness. Thank goodness for mobile phones and messaging.

we love our Merlin app @Confusedmeanderings my friend in Spain uses it and captures the songs of some lovely birds in his garden. I hope one day to hear/ see a hoopoe, if only for the ridiculous name. There are also golden orioles there, which are beautiful. Ds is odd to my aunt’s in vegas later this year - not envious of the vegas trip but certainly of seeing the humming birds which visit their back yard.

The concert was fantastic and made better by ds1 being able to catch up with his former cello teacher, who is lovely. Once I’ve more energy she will come over and we will do some playing together (eyes dusty cello nervously). Definitely spirit animals, RZW.

oh my. Nigel Slater month. Fantastic! Thanks for the heads up. 😀

One last thing, very cute. Now that mum’s rescue cat is finally a lap cat we have realised that she is polydactyl, or a Hemingway cat. Mum managed to get an extra snap of her additional toe(s) this evening.

I ❤️ this entry from Nigel today in KD3.

March 31

Return to earth

Baking grounds me. After three weeks away, amusing myself with cod's milt, baby eels, firefly squid, boiled fish heads, the meat of massaged bulls, cherry blossom scented rice and the roe of sea urchins, I need to get my hands into the flour. I need to mix and fold and roll and knead, ro feel the warm, live bread dough in my palms, to watch it rise and bake to a golden loaf.
I make a flatbread, a thick foccacia studded with marinated olives and freckled with thyme and crystals of seasalt.